Semitransparent reflecting filter for cathode-ray tubes



T949 .1. KAPLAN ETAL 2,492,224

SEMITRANSPARENT HEFLEC'I'ING FILTER FOR CATHODE-RAY TUBES Filed March 9, 1948 25 26 5 )7 18 Tag. .3. i; W N L J $3M fig 2 22 12%;"

.Mchael [aria-2:

Q5 1:? l I Z0 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 27, 1949 FOR i'JATHODE-RA'Y TUBES Joseph Kaplan, ihlladcllflaia, 2a., Michael .L. Kanlan, New Rochelle. Y and Samuel Wilfiams, Philadelphia, Pa, assknors to Sightmaster Corn, New York, N. L, a corporation of New "York .Apniinationzmas'ch 9', 19MB, fiuialibio. 118,864

3 Glaims. (Cl. 118--'-'7;5J

This invention relates to television receivers employing a cathode ray tube having a. ,fluorescent screen at the large end of the tube upon which the received pictures are formed by the Scanningcathod-e ray beam.

It .is an object of this invention 1k) D S- ide :a television receiver emplo such cathode ray tube, the .fluoresccnt .screen end of whlchifl protected by safety ,glass which .givosa pleasing tinted cast to the picture when the television receiver is in use, .and which. when the meokvnr is not in use, imparts an attractiue ornamental appearance and .SCI'JHBS a useful function.

Another obiect is to provide such television receiver in which the comblnationcf cathode in! tube and protective safety mass are separately mounted from the control panel-for the telernsion receiver permitting unusuallyplnaslng decorative disposition of the screen, which. when therein vision receiver is not in use. does not give the appearance of a televisicnscrcen.

Other objects and advantages or thls Jinventlm will be apparent from the following detailed M scription thereof.

In accordance with this is. ca hode ray tube having a fluorescent screen at the Jorge end thereof has mounted .immedmtelr-inimn af the tube in a plane at right angles tethe la a tudinal axis of the tube .and completely newering the fluorescent screen and of the tube-awe of safety .glass, the side of whichnlosast tn the fluorescent screen is provided with anoint-transparent reflecting surface. Such reflecting surface, we have found. imparts a very pleasing tinted cast to the picture when the receiver is in use. the tint depending upon the nature of the semi-transparent'reflecting smzface. It further improves the clarity of the picture. When the television receiver is not in 'use the safely glass having the semi-transparent reflecting surface functions as a mirror. Hence, .when this invention is embodied in a cabinet type television receiver an unusually attractive appearance is imparted thereto, the face of the cabinet :Luncticning as a mirror. The combination the cathode ray tube and safety glass having a seniltransparent reflecting surface may be. in a wall or other surface so that only the safety glass is exposed to viemflm control panel being separately mounted where it is readily accessible for operation, resulting in unusually aileas'ing decorative effects.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and showing. for purposes of exemplification. preferred forms of this in- 2 Mention without limiting the claimed invention o suchiilustmtive instances.

Elgure -1 is a perspective view of .a cabinet type {television receiver embodying this invention. the cathode ray tube within the cabinet being shown in dotted lines;

figure 2 represents a cathode rev tube and protectiim safety glass embodying this invention mounted separately from the control panel 321 the 'televislenreceiveiz: and

Figure .3 is a vertical sec i n through the ro motive safety glass shown on a greatly enlarged scale as conmaned .with the scale of the other :fleu-res.

.In the drawing 1.0 indicates .a teieuisicn receiving cabine.t .of any desired tim ha ing on its face J11 usual control knobs l2 and a frame .13. in which is suitably mounted a name of safety glass l4 hereinafter more fully described. A cathode ray tube 15 having a fluorescent screen it at thelar ee end thereof is mounted inconventional manner within the .cahinet iii, Th ,5 nresnent screen it .is disposed Just behind the fill-61? 818.58 ll. the safety glass .being some as sinned that it com etely covers and exposes .to

.view the enttimarea of fluorescent screen I16. .1: .is disposedin a plane .at right angles to the ion- ,gitndinal axis .of the tube iii.

The safetv glass 1! desirably is of laminated construction and consists of two layers l1 and 18 of plateglassinseparably bonded 'by an interwaning layer 19 of transparent plastic material. such as cellulose nitrate. cellulose acetate. .or a polyvhul resin, preferably polyvinyl 'butyral. A semi-transparent reflecting surface 211 ,is termed on'the side of the safety glass 14 positioned closest to the fluorescent screen it. This semi-trans- Parent reflecting surface may be produced. for exampiejby depositingsilver nitrate on sidell of layer 1 which may be of grained .glass. and reducing :thes'ilver nitrate to form .a semi-trans- Parent silver film. .The semi-transparent reflecting surface may. if desired. be formed by depositlnga reflectingmetal onside 21 of layer 18 by the known cathode sputtering method or by emporating the metal and causing the vapor to contact the .glass or by electrodeposition. While it ispreferred to depositsilwer to form a silver IB- iiecting surface, other metals. suchas gold, platinnrn. chromium, or copper, maybe deposited on side 21 silver 13 to form the desinedsmii-transparent reflecting surface. The amount of metal thus deposited on side H of layer i8 should be such as to impart a. semi-transparent reflecting surface, 1. e., permit light rays to penetrate so 3 that the picture is visible through the safety glass laminate l4, and, when the receiver is not in use, produce a mirror. A layer of metal of a thickness of from 1x l to 100 x 10- mm., preferably from 1(l' to 30 10- mm. is satisfactory.

The combination of cathode ray tube having the fluorescent screen and safety glass having a semi-transparent reflecting surface disposed in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the cathode ray tube hereinabove described has 10 been found to impart an unusually attractive pleasing tinted cast to the picture and further to improve the clarity of the picture. The tint will depend upon the nature of the metal deposited on side 2| of layer l8. Thus, in the case of a silver metal surface on a grained glass a pleasing blue tint is imparted to the picture; by incorporating dye stuffs in the metal deposited on layer I8, or by the use of other metals, a picture of any desired tinted cast may be produced.

The combination of the cathode ray tube l5 and the protective safety glass M disposed with the safety glass in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of tube l5 may, if desired, be

mounted separately from the control panel 22 therefor. For example, the cathode ray tube l5 and the safety glass l4 may be mounted within a wall 23 of a room so that the face of safety glass M is flush with the surface of the wall, as

shown in Figure 2, and the cathode ray tube I5 is disposed with the fluorescent screen IS in back a p: tlie safety glass 14, as shown in Figure 3, the cathode ray tube being connected by a suitable lead 24 with the control panel '22. This panel has suitable control knobs 25, 26 controlling the operation of the television receiver. In this way the safety glass N may be disposed so as to iman unusually pleasing decorative appearance .to the wall or other surface with which it is assoelated; For example, it may resemble amirro'r 1p on or set within a wall when the television re- 'ceiver is notin use, and thus camouflage the tele- ;vision screen when not in use. In the embodiment of Figure 2, a magnifier 21 desirably: in the form of a magnifying lens is gs interposed between the fluorescent screen It and "the safety glass l4. Such magnifier may be "omitted from the construction of Figure 2' or employed. in thecabinet type of receiver shown Figure 1 suitably mounted between screen I 6 F.3d safety glass I4. Desirably magnifier 21 is a lens of an area somewhat greater than that of screen It and is spaced from this screen a distance such that the person viewing the screen sees a magnified image of the picture.

The safety glass M conceals the magnifying lens yet permits the magnified image to be viewed and imparts a pleasing tint thereto.

It. will be noted this invention provides a teleyision receiver employing a cathode ray tube having a fluorescent screen which is protected by a pane of safety glass imparting a pleasing tinted cast to the picture when the television receiver isin use, and which, when the television receiver is not in use, has an unusually attractive ornamental appearance and serves as a mirror.

Sincedifferent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. For example, while a safety glass laminate has been shown and depherel 4. scribed above, it will be understood other visually transparent protective surfaces having a semi-transparent reflecting surface on the side closest to the cathode ray tube may be used in lieu of the safety glass. Further while in Figure 3 thesemi-tran'sparent reflectingj surf'ace 2| is shown disposed on the back of layer '8, it may be positioned on the side of this layer in contact with plastic layer l9 so that when the laminate is formed the semi-transparent reflecting surface is hermetically sealed between layers l8 and I9 and thus protected against deleterious influences arising from exposure to the atmos- In the: case of a silver reflecting surface, for example, which tends to tarnish and decompose on exposure to the atmosphere, it is preferred to have the silver layer on the side of glass lBimmediately adjacent the plastic layer l9 so that the surface of the silver layer is hermetically sealed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a television receiver, in combination, a cathode'ray tube having 'a fluorescent screen at the large end thereof, a visusally transparent "protective inernbr, means on said member to cause said member to act as a mirror when said cathode ray tube is lie-energized, said means comprising a semi-transparent metallic reflecting surface on the back of said member, and

means mountingfsaid member so 'that it is spaced from, close to, and in front of said cathode ray 'tube' in a plane at right angles to the longitudi- 2. A tjlevision'ireceiver, as deflned'in claim 1, in which the visually transparent protective mem- 'b 'er consists of'a transparent laminate comprisirig an intermediate layer of transparent plas- '-tic material, and said means comprising a semit'ra'nspa'ient inetallic reflecting surface is disposed contiguous" tosaid intermediate layer of transpare'nt plastic'material.

3. A television" re'ceiver, as defined in claim i,

"in whichfsald visuallytransparent protective rhember "consists of a pane of safety glass com- The following references are of record in the fileQof. fillies-patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number j, i

, .Name Date 1,967,161 Simon July 17; 1934 2,222,411! Kudar' Nov. 19, 1940 2,224,287 Busch Dec. 10, 1940 2,251,984 Cleaven et al Aug. 12, 1941 2,426,752 Sceli SeptfZ, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 457,274 Great Britain NOV. 24, 1936 483,841 Great Britain Apr. '1, 193a 

